A Rainfall's Gaze
by Mist Rogue
Summary: He saved her after repelling the Yellow Turban rebels, and she will stop at nothing to repay her debt to him - even if it means getting into a pretend relationship. [Zhang Liao x OC]
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This author does not own any of the characters created by Tecmo-Koei.

* * *

**Chapter One: A Debt**

Fighting was not second nature to him, but maybe killing other people was another. He could feel fresh zeal every time he was able to carry his blade, but not when it involved taking another person's life. On his horse, he surveyed the ongoing bloodshed before him. These rebels dressed in yellow turbans. According to his superior, they were being mislead by the lunatic leader, Zhang Jiao and his Way of Peace. But if these people were misled, would it be right to kill them?

"No," he whispered to himself. "The leaders would be the one to pay for misleading their soldiers!" With that thought in mind, he led the assigned infantry into the battlefield.

Up and down, left and right. Blood splayed against his blade, against his armor. He pushed back into his head, the images of the men slain by his blade. In the slightest of distraction, he was thrown off his horse when it reared back on its hind legs. The soldier pulled himself up from the ground and looked ahead to see who would try and kill him.

His opponent was ruthless-looking, a former military man who joined the rebellion to voice out his dissatisfaction with the current government of the Han. But there was something, there was a smell of alcohol around that man.

"A weakling like you deserves a better life when you are part of the Way of Peace!" the rebel spluttered out with saliva. He laughed, "You have no chance against me, boy. Surrender, or I'll skewer your guts out!"

The soldier remained quiet, observing when would his opponent put on a false step. It was then, he found it. There was a tattered opening underneath the rebel's right arm. His opponent was too full of himself, underestimating the abilities of the soldier before him. The rebel charged and raised his sword. But the moment the Yellow Turban rebel raised his blade, he found himself bleeding to death on the ground. The soldier ignored the cries of mercy of the rebel. With a look of sympathy, he ended the rebel's life with a strike of his blade, and then moved on.

He didn't know how long he was fighting; but by the end of the day, he heard the battle drums sound across the battlefield. The enemy commander was slain. They were victorious! They had defended their area.

It was sunset. His eyes scanned the damage done to the town they were in. Buildings were smoking from the fires that burned. Houses were shattered. But everywhere, he listened to the victory cheers of his comrade.

A rider came up to him and got down from the mighty steed.

"Good job, Zhang Liao," his superior commended him, taking off his own helmet.

Zhang Liao, the young soldier, saluted and responded, "Thank you sir. But the honors of the victory go with your leadership."

His superior laughed. "It wasn't easy, boy." He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "Maybe one day, you'll lead an army even bigger than mine, and your name would be heard all throughout the land of China."

Zhang Liao kept a firm face. "I have hopes to be so, sir."

The older man patted Zhang Liao on the shoulder. "Mayi is now safe because of our joint efforts. Keep in mind, that it takes more than just one man to pull a victory."

"Yes sir, I will keep that in mind, sir!"

"Can you patrol the grounds?" it wasn't an order. It was more of a request.

"I am still not yet tired, sir," Zhang Liao responded. "I can still do as you ordered."

The superior nodded. "Good. I will see you with the other volunteers later."

Zhang Liao saluted and made his way to patrol the grounds.

He followed the stone path into one of the villages. The sun had not completely set yet. The soft glow of the remains of the burnt houses illuminated the path. He could see surviving villagers slowly returning to the area, trying to salvage what they can. He offered his help with the lifting of heavy planks of wood or push away some rubble along the way. When he reached at the end point of his patrol, he turned to make his patrol back. Something caught his ear.

It was a muffled sound. Zhang Liao quickly headed for that direction. It sounded like a cry for help. But where was it coming from? He quickened his pace when he heard the sound getting louder, there was a mix of thumping and yelling, and also a bark. Zhang Liao listened ever more closely. He stopped in front of a pile of rubble of a destroyed house.

"I'm coming to help you!" he called out. He looked around him to see if anyone can help him. He realized that this house was at the far edge of the village. He cracked his fingers and stretched. Looks like he's going to have to push the rubble away by himself. He was lucky that he was able to carry the weighted broken blocks aside. The sound was getting clearer, but fainter.

"Hang on!" he said, trying to give whoever was trapped in there some hope to keep on fighting.

When he reached what seemed to be a break through, there was finally a hole where a child can slip out. Initially, Zhang Liao thought it was a child was trapped underneath the rubble. He immediately stepped back when a head of a dog popped out of the hole. It scrambled itself out of the hole and started barking at the hole. Zhang Liao peered over once again and almost stepped back a second time, because a hand grasped on the edge of the hole. He soon realized that it wasn't a child that was trapped inside. He could hear a distinct but faint cry for help once more.

"Hold on," he said. He was faster in clearing the rest of the rubble and couldn't believe what he saw. A young woman was lying curled on the ground. There was a trail of blood flowing down from her head. She must had been hit by something hard. He immediately approached to her side and lifted her up.

"Can you hear me?" he asked, while his fingers immediately pressed on her wrist. It relieved him that she was still alive.

The young woman opened her eyes and uttered a soft yes, before fading into unconsciousness. He held her like that, in amazement.

Her eyes were like a mirror reflects the color of the stormy gray sky.

* * *

She could feel something licking her hand. "Chiu, stop it," she murmured. She could feel the weight of four paws at her stomach and hear the sound of the dog's panting. Her head was spinning even when she was just lying down on the bed. The dog was not helping either. When the dog licked her face, she opened her eyes and sighed.

"You never stop until I wake up, don't you," she muttered softly. She sat up and felt pain all over her body. The dog gave a joyous bark and got off her at once. It trotted towards the door and started scratching the wood, whining.

"Do you have to go?" she mumbled. Groggily, she pushed her legs off the bed and unto the floor. She wasn't bothering herself to think where she was. The dog's whines were getting louder and louder, irritating her. She was already walking when she heard the door slide and open. She stopped on her steps and stared as a young man opened the door and let the dog out first before entering and closed the door behind him.

He gave a polite bow. "You're awake."

She stood there, unsure of what to do. She wasn't even sure if she should say anything. She just stood there, stayed quiet.

The young man cautiously approached her and took her hand. "I am Zhang Liao styled Wenyuan, an administrative officer here in the Mayi county. I am the one who found you underneath the rubble." He could see that the young woman was still in shock, or perhaps she really couldn't speak. "You are here in my house. You are safe."

The woman opened her mouth and whispered something almost inaudibly.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

The woman pulled her hand away from his grip. She kept her gaze down. How should she react to this? Normally, she wouldn't really ask help from anyone, but this Zhang Liao person in front of her, went out of his way to help her. Thinking back to being buried under the heavy pile of rubble, she hadn't expected to be saved by someone despite crying out for help.

"Thank you for helping me," she whispered a little louder for him to hear.

"Oh," Zhang Liao said. "You're welcome."

Perhaps it was best that she introduced herself to him. She mustered enough strength and spoke out, "Lan."

He looked at her. "Lan?"

The young woman looked at him squarely in the face and nodded. "I am Lan."

"Would you like to eat something, Lady Lan?" Zhang Liao asked. "You must be famished."

She nodded. "Thank you," she spoke softly.

They sat in the small dining room that also served as the kitchen. He preferred to keep a simple living quarters. They sat across each other. He watched her hungrily eat the beef noodles he had cooked. He took his cup of tea and sipped it. He heard a whine next to him. It was Lan's dog, Chiu was its name. Its tongue was hanging out and giving wanting eyes towards him and a bark. He got up from his seat. "I believe I have some goat milk here for you." He walked over to the cupboard and opened it. He pulled out a small jar from it and poured all of its contents into a bowl, and then set it before the pet. The dog yelped happily and started lapping it up.

Zhang Liao smiled to himself, proud of having done something to good to the animal. He turned to see what his guest's needs. He was not surprised to see an empty bowl in front of Lan. He watched her pick up a beef bone and whistled.

The dog turned its head up from the already empty bowl of milk and barked. She tossed the bone to the dog, and it leaped up and caught it between its teeth.

Lan smirked, "That's a good dog, Chiu."

"You mean 'autumn'?" Zhang Liao asked. He watched the dog gnaw on the bone.

Lan nodded. She felt the bandage tied around her forehead; she was looking for wherever she was hit. She winced slightly when her hand touched the area. "Was I hit that bad?" She asked herself.

Zhang Liao watched this woman suddenly talking to herself. He had a lot of questions that he wanted to ask, but he would have to be very tact in asking them.

"Lady Lan, if you would forgive me for asking," he started, "where do you live? So that I can escort you back to your home, once your wounds have healed."

She shot him a look, but then looked down. "I don't have a home to go back to," she spoke carefully. Would she be able to trust this man with herself? Maybe some truth-covering would do for now. "I have been traveling on my own, until I met that cute creature over there." She gestured to the dog that rolled on its side, blinking its cute eyes.

Zhang Liao was intrigued. "Why did you leave your own home, my lady?"

"I..." Lan's voice trailed off. "You know how it is, when the first born wasn't a boy. It was a great dishonor to the family. I ran away from the time that I knew how to think for myself. Although, I was lucky enough to find someone who took care of me, a childless farming couple. But I had to leave as well when they both passed away, I sold the land to a new couple and used the money to go about on my own."

"So you have been traveling ever since," Zhang Liao said. "But then, how were you able to survive on your own?"

"I learned women's trade, like sewing and cooking from the farmer's wife. But it wasn't enough," she replied. "To repay the couple that took care of me, I had to secretly learn how to hunt and fish."

Zhang Liao stared at the young woman in front of him. He took her tale into further analysis. It was true that she had some money with her, but he didn't how long it was when she had left the farmers. He wondered how was she able to purchase weapons for hunting, unless there was some other odd jobs done in the way.

"I can tell that you lived a pretty good life," her voice pervading his thoughts. She motioned around the room. "You have a house, a job in the government, and a salary that pays to get you by."

Zhang Liao chuckled and shook his head. "With the current state of affairs, the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the disorganization of the Han empire, I find it hard to be able to sleep well without wondering when the next attack on this town would be."

Lan nodded. She sipped the tea with lack of a proper woman's table manners. "You aren't engaged to some arranged marriage as well."

"Very perceptive of you," he said. "It was as if, there was something more about you other than being able to hunt and to fish. For example, I wonder how were you able to survive the banes of the roads such as bandits and thieves."

He tried to read her actions, to determine whether she was lying or not. There was no way for a woman, on her own, to have evaded such. She could be someone dangerous if he was not careful.

"You are very perceptive yourself," Lan spoke. She held her head, feeling like the wound on her head was threatening to reopen itself. "But I feel ill once more."

"Further questions, can wait then," Zhang Liao said. She really piqued his interest. He wasn't one to be chasing women down. He had no intention of going after the rich but snobbish noblewomen. He poured more tea into her cup and then placed a small wrapped item next to the cup. "Here is some herbs that would help alleviate the pain. It is best to drink them with tea."

Lan gave a courteous bow. "You are very kind, Lord Zhang Liao." She consumed the medicine and drank her tea. "I wish there was some way I could repay your kindness."

Zhang Liao thought it would be a good joke to ask, "How about marrying me?" And then proceeded to laugh. The look on her face was contorted with horror and disgust. "I was only joking, my lady. Please, let me escort you back to your bed."

He didn't expect it coming, but a slipper went flying straight to his face and knocked him down to the floorboards. He was right about one thing, and that was she knew more than just hunting and fishing to be able to fight off the banes of the road. He heard footsteps coming his way, and the hysterical cries of apologies towards him.

"I am so sorry Lord Zhang Liao!" Lan cried. "I... It... I didn't mean to hurt you with a slipper!"

Zhang Liao sat back up and rubbed his nose. "I believe that was your way of fighting off men who tried to flirt with you, wasn't it?"

"Yes," she spoke guiltily. "It was one of the ways."

One of the ways, he thought. Zhang Liao scrunched his face. His nose just hurt. "It is alright, Lady Lan. You are forgiven. I hope the next time, you would not throw something harder towards me."

She went quiet, possibly to ponder over the unruliness of her actions towards him. Somehow, he knew there was something more about her than the innocent mask she was showing him. He was determined to find out about it.

A few days passed, and things were going back to normal in the town. The lady he had taken under his care was free from her bandages and was able to move without fear of falling in pain.

She sat in the room where he had insisted she recover. She didn't know if she would feel more guilty of ridding a man his simple pleasure of sleeping on his own bed. She watched her pet roll on the floor, its tongue out and panting. He, Zhang Liao, was unlike the men she had met in her travels. She had met some educated men who were as eloquent with words as he is, but always it would lead to something sexual. But it was different for him, despite joking about marriage, he was sincere in taking care of her health. Suddenly, her thoughts went to that youth who was watching her in the rain, a few years ago. Whatever could have happened to him?

The dog's whine drover her out of her reminiscence. It was scratching at the door again and whining. Lan pushed herself off from the bed and slid the door open. Chiu immediately raced out to the back door to do its own business. Lan moved to the dining room where she saw an empty pack and beside it was wrapped meat buns. She saw Zhang Liao finish wrapping the last of the meat buns in a thin paper wrapper.

"What is this for, Lord Zhang Liao?" she asked.

He looked at her and gave a smile. "I am preparing your pack for your journey, Lady Lan."

"You don't have to do this, Lord Zhang Liao," she began. "I have not repaid the debt that I owe you for saving my life. I - "

Zhang Liao looked at her and said firmly, "To see you back healthy on your feet was a debt repaid enough for me."

Her eyes widened. This kindness was just too much. He didn't have to do this for her! He should never do this for her! It went against to what she would normally do. For her, it was a simple principle of give and take. She gets the job done and receives something return or does it vice versa. She wanted to be the one to repay herself, by her own actions!

She shook her head, and then slammed her hand on the table. "I cannot let you do this, Lord Zhang Liao, I simply cannot!" she exclaimed.

The young man looked at her, and she glared back

"The pack is set for you already, Lady Lan," Zhang Liao said. "You can leave whenever you like. There is no need for you to repay your so-called debt to me."

If that's the way he wanted it, she thought. Then... then...

"Fine then, I will not leave you until my debt is repaid by saving your life!"

She could see that he was taken aback by her words. Yes, this would be what she would do. But somewhere in the back of her mind, there was another motive as she would not leave. Maybe she had found a place she could call home here in Mayi.

She looked at him hard and said, "Well? You have nothing to say, Lord Zhang Liao?"

She was given a smile for a reply. It caused her cheeks to tense.

"Very well then," he said. "But remember, my lady, you can leave whenever you want. You owe nothing to me."

This would be a very strange relationship, she thought. But her principle still stands, and she will not leave until she had saved his life.

* * *

More than a week had passed, a messenger appeared at Zhang Liao's door.

Zhang Liao opened it to receive a letter from the messenger.

"Lord Ding Yuan has seen your potential as a military officer and expresses his wishes to recruit you into his service, Lord Zhang Liao," the messenger said. "He awaits your response."

Zhang Liao took a long time in reading the letter. He gave his response.

"Yes, I will accept his offer."

The messenger nodded. He handed Zhang Liao a satchel of money. "Use this to purchase a horse. Lord Ding Yuan awaits your arrival at his county." After that, the messenger bowed and departed.

No, he was not crazy.

No, he was not impulsive.

No, he had no intention of running away from her.

"Right now, you have the option to leave or to go with me to the Lord Ding Yuan at the south of Bing Province," he said.

He could see the rage burning in her eyes. Despite her simple principle of give and take, it would not work with him. If ever he would do something like that, it would be for a long term contract, and he doubted she would ever agree to it.

"What is your choice then, Lady Lan?"

She exhaled a defeated sigh. "Take me with you then. But you better have enough to buy another horse! There is no way would I be seen riding with you on one horse!"

He laughed to himself. Clearly, she hadn't gotten over his marry-me joke.

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Thank you for reaching the end of the chapter. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: This author does not own any of the characters created by Tecmo-Koei.

* * *

**Chapter Two: An Odd Woman**

He watched her fidget over the clothes she had purchased in the market. He smirked, while admiring the contours of her body.

"Do I look good?" she asked, giving a twirl.

He gave her a nod of approval. "You look beautiful."

She gave him a short glare then a playful smirk. He assumed that she had been complimented too many times in such an offending manner.

"I am honest, my lady, you do not need to glare."

She sighed, "I got used to it. I've been too defensive around men, and now I find myself accompanying one."

He looked outside. "We're going to have to leave your dog behind though, my lady." It would be a hassle for them to bring one. Another problem would be that they might lose the dog along the way.

Lan nodded at him. "I understand, Lord Zhang Liao." She walked outside and whistled. The dog Chiu ran over to her and licked her cheek, and gave a joyous bark. "Sorry Chiu, but I will have to leave you here for the while." The dog gave her a sad whine as Lan stroked its fur. "Don't worry, I'll be back. You'll be taken with great care here, right Lord Zhang Liao?"

Zhang Liao nodded. "Yes." He called for the caretaker of his house and gave orders to keep the dog safe and healthy while watching over the house.

"Yes Lord Zhang Liao," the caretaker said with a bow. "I will do the best I can."

Zhang Liao nodded. "Good." He looked up to the sky. It was threatening to get very cold, winter was coming. He took something from inside the house and stepped outside once more; he approached the lady who was getting ready to ride on her horse. "My lady," he called out to her.

She turned around. "Yes?"

He placed the item on her hands. It was a thick scarf. She looked at him questioningly. "The weather won't seem to improve for the next few days," he said. "Apart from the cloaks we would be bring with us, this scarf will keep you warm as well."

"Lord Zhang Liao, I don't know how many times I have said this, you are too kind," she said. The more she accepted his actions towards her, the more it was driving her crazy. She unfolded the scarf and wrapped it around her neck. He was right though, it kept her warm.

"Let us depart then."

* * *

It wasn't that bad to have some company, he thought. The lady had proved to be an entertaining companion. They would talk of anything that passes their eyes' gaze. The roads, the fields, the things they would find. He had to admit that she was very knowledgeable of the different kinds of plants that they saw.

He looked at the sun setting over the horizon as they entered a small town. "It would be dangerous to ride tonight. How about we look for a place to eat and stay?"

Lan nodded. "I agree, Lord Zhang Liao. My butt's aching from riding all day."

He agreed to her statement, and his stomach agreed by grumbling. They had consumed their packed meal along the way.

They led their horses to the stable next to a tavern. Zhang Liao was about to enter through the curtained entrance when the lady behind him stopped.

"Please, wait for a minute," she spoke.

He watched her wrap the scarf, which he had given her before they left his house, around her face to cover most of her face except for her eyes.

"Now, do tell me the reason you would do that," he said.

He was very sure that Lan was smiling from behind the cloth. "It'd be dangerous for a woman to be in a tavern, right? It would be best I dress up like some frail traveler to throw off the suspicion."

Zhang Liao frowned slightly. He pushed down the part of the scarf that was covering her mouth. "You being dressed up like that would bring more suspicion. Perhaps just pretend to be a noblewoman, and I will pretend to be your bodyguard."

She was about to say something when both of their stomachs grumbled.

"You know what, Lord Zhang Liao? Let's just drop this disguising case and get something to eat," she said with a tone of finality.

"Good."

They took their seats in the upper floor of the tavern. Zhang Liao observed the surroundings. He noted a number of men from a table looking towards their direction. A waitress arrived, carrying their order. Some noodles, meat and tea.

"I would suggest you stop looking around, Lord Zhang Liao," Lan whispered as she picked up her chopsticks.

He picked his own and whispered back, "Those men on that table behind you are looking at our direction."

Lan remained calm and ate her food. "They must be adoring my rear," she said with hints of disgust.

"Then it would be best to leave after we eat," Zhang Liao said.

She nodded. "Agreed."

She had a bad feeling the moment they took their seats. From behind her, she could feel those wolves' eyes staring at her. It was always like this whenever she would enter a tavern without masking her face. Then again, even though she did masked her face, her figure would tip the others off to her gender.

She quietly ate the meal that was prepared for them. She remembered that she did not have any weapons with her. Zhang Liao must had taken them from her tattered clothes when he was nursing her back to health. She scolded herself for not remembering to purchase at least a knife to bring with her. Once she finished, she set her chopsticks on the empty bowl and drank her tea. Zhang Liao had finished earlier before her. He signaled a waiter to come over, and he gave the waiter the payment for their bill. The waiter gave a courteous bow and left to hand the change to the owner.

"Let us go then," he said quietly.

She made no sign of reaction. She was immersed in thoughts of how they could deal with those men behind her. She was brought back to reality when she felt fingers intertwine with hers.

"What are you doing?!" she hissed, her eyes narrowing.

He remained calm, but there was this sense of seriousness in him. He gazed into her eyes and spoke slowly, "Let us pretend to be lovers."

"You're crazy!" she hissed.

She wanted to slap him there, but the way he gripped her hand meant that he was trying to keep her calm. She was then aware of herself; her free hand on the table was shaking in anticipation. She nearly jumped in fright when his other hand held her and intertwined his fingers around hers again. She could see him staring at her direction, but she knew he was observing the movement of the men behind her. She heard the screeching of the chairs against the wooden floors and the loud footsteps booming towards their table.

"I sense you are not afraid," he whispered.

She replied softly, "Maybe I am itching for a fight."

The information looked new to him, but he kept a calm facade. "That would help even the odds then," he continued in his low voice. "I count five big men with arms, but there could be possibly more here."

He silenced. She knew why. By the flickering of the lights, she could see the shadows of the men in front of her, shading her interlocked hands with Zhang Liao.

"Is that you, sweet cheeks?" a gruff man laughed. "Are you dumping me for some scrawny guy there?" He laughed more, inciting laughter from his friends.

Her nose twitched at the smell of alcohol coming from the gruff man.

Zhang Liao let go of one of her hands and stood up and walked to her side. "If you are done talking sir, I wish to leave with my lady."

She turned to see how Zhang Liao was no match in height for the man in front of him. The guy was huge.

The gruff man spat out to Zhang Liao's face. "You really intent on going out with this blasted woman?" He leaned close. "She killed my brother! Toyed his feelings before sending him to hell!"

"To my defense," Lan spoke, also rising from her seat, still keeping her hand locked with Zhang Liao's to keep herself calm. "I was paid to do that. Your brother was no good with those poor women. He toyed them and killed them afterwards." She laughed in an unnatural tone. "He had quite a big bounty on his head, I am surprised you haven't killed him yourself to satisfy your greed."

Zhang Liao could hear the whispers going on around the people in the tavern.

"Could it be the female mercenary?"

"I heard she charms her targets and kills them."

"For the good or for the bad, she just wants the money."

The gruff man would take no more of it. "How dare you insult my brother! You will go to hell along with your boyfriend then!" He drew out a long jagged sword from its scabbard. He raised it and let it fall towards her.

She was distracted by a thought. This gruff man believed Zhang Liao is her boyfriend?

Lan felt herself get pulled away by Zhang Liao as the jagged sword landed on the table. The gruff man yelled towards his comrades, "Well don't just stand there! Kill them!"

It was then that the gruff man's other comrades revealed themselves. Apart from the four that were standing with the leader, there was another table with another five who rose from their seats.

"Time to make our leave then," Zhang Liao said. He took a step forward when a knife was thrown at him. He dodged it and the knife lodged itself on a wooden post.

"That is if we can make out of this alive!" she exclaimed. She pulled the knife out of the wooden post and used it to block the incoming weapon headed for them. "Didn't you bring a sword or something?"

She felt him let go of her other hand and watched as Zhang Liao punched the lights out of another thug. It was then he drew a sword out from his side. "I did, but I find this fight pointless to engage with, my lady."

Lan nodded. "True, then we will just have to find a way to escape then."

The gruff man yelled out, "You're not getting away from me!" He lifted a table and threw it towards them.

Lan pushed Zhang Liao away as the table crashed on the wall, sending the customers into a panic and fleeing.

"Avoid as much casualties as possible," Zhang Liao said to her as they got back on their feet. He evaded another man's strike and knocked the attacker with the butt of his sword. "Ten of them against the two of us, it'd be a miracle to get out unscathed." He jabbed his elbow into another man's face, and heard a nose breaking.

"With the way things are going, I guess we can spare a few thugs alive," she replied.

Lan plunged the knife into another man's throat and pulled it out. She bent down and swiped at another attacker's belt, sending the man's pants down, tripping the man on his own pants. She smirked at the brief victory when it turned into a shrill scream. The leader of the thugs charged towards her and grabbed her, intent on throwing her off from the second floor.

"LAN!" Zhang Liao cried out for her. He couldn't go to her aid, he was busy with the other men.

She fidgeted over his grip as the large man made his way to the balcony of the second floor. She could see the thirst for revenge in the man's eyes. "You are going to die! Let hell welcome you!" He lifted her body up high in his arms. Lan returned to her sense of self that she still has the knife in her hand. She twisted and plunged the knife into the man's arm. The gruff man howled in pain. He was about to let her fly from his hands when something hit him from behind the knee, sending not only the woman in his hands flying off the second floor but him as well.

Lan quickly undid the scarf from her neck and lashed it upwards to whoever would be there, while holding on to the other end of it.

From the second floor, Zhang Liao was the one who was able to strike the gruff man. He watched how Lan was able to move in midair and reached out his hand and held on tightly to the end of the scarf that had headed his way. He felt himself get dragged over to the edge when Lan had reached the end of her drop, but he held on still, finding anything to hold on to keep him from falling off.

Lan opened her eyes. Her limbs were curled on the scarf. She looked down to estimate the distance from where she was and on the ground. Without even warning Zhang Liao, she let go of the scarf, flipped over and landed on the first floor with balance of an acrobat.

She could see on the second floor, Zhang Liao suddenly jerked and looked over. She giggled at the sight of his horror-stricken face. She waved towards him, "Lord Zhang Liao, I am safe here on the ground floor! Do come down!"

Zhang Liao was relieved to see her safe there. He pushed himself back to his feet. He glanced at the damage done. No one among the customers were hurt, just the thugs who were groaning in pain, and some dead. He immediately made his way down. He could see where the gruff man landed. There was a pool of blood around the gruff man. Zhang Liao could tell that the man had died with the way the head was turned to the side.

"I am very sorry for the damage done..." Zhang Liao heard Lan talking.

He turned around to see Lan was talking with the tavern owner. He saw her place a satchel to the owner's hands. He approached them.

"...was a bother in town, always harassing us into giving in to their demands. It was a blessing from heavens that you and your friend were able to finally put an end to their harassment. You do not need to pay for the damages."

Lan shook her head when the owner. "No, please. Take it. I feel bad for causing a lot of trouble here. This would help with the repairs of your wonderful tavern."

The owner thanked her once more and went to his employees telling them to start cleaning things up. Zhang Liao turned his attention once more to Lan, to find her already walking out of the tavern.

"I suppose you have heard about her, my lord?" the owner spoke, he had returned carrying something.

Zhang Liao shook his head. "From what I heard from your customers, she was a mercenary of some sort."

The owner nodded. "That is true. That is true. But sometimes, she does things out of her own free will. Doing her work, even without pay." The owner smiled towards Zhang Liao. "She is a casual customer of her my tavern. It is rare to see her with company. Are you a friend?"

Zhang Liao nodded. "Yes, sir."

The owner nodded more. "Ah, I know what would be good." He looked inside the bag to find a lot of coins. "There are guest rooms in the west wing of my tavern. You can stay there for the night. How many rooms would you need?"

"Two would do, thank you, sir." He believed that Lan would refuse staying in one room with him.

The owner grinned. "Alright then. Alright then." He bowed to Zhang Liao. "The rooms will be ready in a few minutes." He left, still carrying that cheerful aura.

The solitary man made his way out of the now messy room. He stepped out of the tavern.

"Lady Lan?" he called out, looking for the woman. He found her sitting at the edge of a pond. The scarf was still in his hand. He walked over to her.

"My lady," he softly called to her.

She was sitting at the edge, her knees brought close to her chest with her arms around them.

"The tavern owner was kind enough to give us lodgings for tonight," he spoke.

She still remained unmoving from her place; her eyes were staring blankly into space.

"My lady," he called out to her again. Darn this, was she just this difficult?

He thought of some way to snap her out of her blank daze. He knew he would get slapped by this. He reached out and held her chin and forced her to look at him and then kissed her on the cheek.

There was the resounding slap that echoed the night air. He closed his eyes and held his burning cheek.

At least that snapped her out of her mindlessness. He opened his eyes and saw her cheeks flushed red and her breathing loud.

"You kissed me," she said in disbelief, holding her cheek. "You kissed me!"

"You weren't listening to me, and you would freeze to death just sitting here. I had to do something!" he immediately retorted back. "And your slap hurts," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

They sat there in silence.

"The tavern owner had two rooms prepared for us, right?" she asked.

He nodded.

"He's such a nice man."

"Indeed he is."

She pushed herself off from the edge and stood up. "I know you have a lot of questions, my lord. Perhaps you can ask me when we are in the warmer area."

He stood up as well. "Wait, my lady."

He handed in her hands the scarf he had given before they started their trip.

* * *

Inside her own room, Lan sat on the edge of the bed. Was it a wrong thing to have went along in this trip? To still be intent on repaying her debt to him? She'd been to worse brawls than this, but it just didn't sink in to her to have someone share the blame for it. What's more, he found out what she actually does to survive. Killing targeted men in exchange for money. He would most probably be curious as to where she learned it.

She touched her cheek where he kissed her. It burned a mark into her memory. He was burning down the walls she put up.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she spoke.

Zhang Liao gave a light bow. "I thought I should check up on you, to see if you're alright."

"I am fine, Lord Zhang Liao, thank you for the concern."

He entered the room and closed it behind him. "You moved pretty well earlier," he commented. "It was like watching a dance."

"You flatter me, Lord Zhang Liao," she said.

He smiled at her. It made her uneasy, but she willed herself to accept anything that would come out of this interrogation. "I told your earlier, I would answer any questions you would ask of me."

He nodded. "Those targets you killed before," he spoke in a low voice, "are you not bothered?"

She shook her head. "I knew I would be killing for a purpose. Their death could be proven good for whoever paid me to do the kill. The usual would be cheating husbands, thugs, bandit leaders, even some officials."

"You were paid well, I suppose?"

"Well, yes," she said. "But the last one, I took on a job that I thought I could take." She stared once more into the empty space. "I failed it."

He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "What happened there?"

"I made a wrong throw with my knife. Instead of eliminating the target, I killed an innocent child." Her voice stuck itself in her throat. She choked on herself. It strained itself out to continue her tale. She gripped hard on the scarf. "It caught the attention of the target. I eliminated him at once and fled. But that image... the image of one so young so... pure... lying dead on the floor. I felt too distraught.

"And it haunted me..."

She could feel his eyes staring at her. She didn't want to talk anymore. She lied down on the bed, her back facing him. "I'm sleeping. Good night, Lord Zhang Liao."

"Good night, my lady."

She heard the footsteps leave and the door click close. Her hands still held the scarf. She pulled it close to her face and went to sleep.

* * *

Morning came. The ground floor and second floor look considerably cleaner without the bodies of the thugs. Some of the tables were repaired and breakfast customers are coming in.

"This should keep you full along the way," the tavern owner spoke cheerfully, placing a small pack in Zhang Liao's hand.

"You have been too kind," Zhang Liao spoke, giving a respectful bow. He nudged lightly on Lan's side. She bowed as well.

"Well, I am going to get the horses out of the stables," Lan said.

"Wait, Lady Lan."

She turned around. "What is it this time, Lord Zhang Liao?" her voice was annoyed. At least she's back to her normal self.

She stopped and took a slight step back when he took the scarf from her hand and he wrapped it around her neck. She felt like a child being pampered by a doting parent.

Lan flushed and frowned, "Like I said. I will get the horses out of the stables." With that, she stormed out.

The owner smiled and said, "That is good. That is good." He handed something else to Zhang Liao. By shape and weight, the soldier could tell it was a knife. "Give this to her," the owner continued. "A sign of thanks from the people of this little village."

Zhang Liao smiled and bowed to the owner. "Thank you very much. I will give this to her, although I fear she would ignore me for showering her with too much kindness."

"Not to worry. Not to worry," the owner spoke. "It is all part of her playing hard to get. No man treated her this kindly before."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please review!


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